West Ham 1-1 Crystal Palace: Odsonne Edouard strikes earns point for Palace after Muhammed Kudus opener

An enthralling London derby ended with honours even between West Ham and Crystal Palace, as Odsonne Edouard’s goal early in the second half cancelled out Mohammed Kudus’ opener.

The Hammers took the lead just 13 minutes in as Kudus smartly finished off a counter-attack started by an inspired ping forward by James Ward-Prowse that Crystal Palace were always scrambling to recover from.

The Eagles had started off brighter though, and West Ham went further into their shell with a lead to protect, encouraging the visitors to press home their advantage with the ball.

They were made to pay for that complacency when Edouard - who had missed a chance just moments earlier - picked off Konstantinos Mavropanos’ no-look pass and coolly fired past Alphonse Areola to earn his side a deserved point.

West Ham would have hoped for better as their run of four successive victories came to a screeching halt, they remain ninth on the weekend Brighton and Manchester United both lost just ahead of them while Crystal Palace stay 12th.

However, with all of those victories decided by a single goal and three won later than the 87th minute, this was just a bridge too far for West Ham who’ve still enjoyed a strong start to the season - qualifying for the UEFA Europa League knockout round and sitting pretty in the top half of the Premier League.

They certainly seemed content to let Crystal Palace work harder at the London Stadium and Edouard’s goal was vindication for their complacency. In a game where neither goalkeeper was threatened too much despite both conceding, West Ham only seized the initiative after that equaliser and by then it was too late to fashion a winner.

Jeffrey Schlupp joined Eberechi Eze and Cheick Doucoure on an increasingly problematic unavailability list for Roy Hodgson, but the visitors certainly didn’t start like they were down on their luck.

Michael Olise couldn’t grab his second goal in as many games but showed he’d be a threat right from kick-off, beating Nayef Aguerd and Lucas Paqueta all ends up with his first dribble and never looking back from there.

Often dropping back between defence and midfield as the visitors’ creative hub all game, the players ahead of him struggled to fashion meaningful chances on goal though and it took Mavropanos’ lazy error to allow them back into the game.

Hodgson won’t be complaining though, the valuable point arrests a slide of four losses in five games with Bournemouth up next, and means Crystal Palace don’t enter a challenging festive run of Liverpool, Manchester City, Brighton, Chelsea, Brentford and Arsenal behind the eight-ball.

Crystal Palace put in the more impressive performance but Kudus was the standout player for both teams, and looked to have earned his side the win for 40 minutes.

After all the hype around Soucek’s heroics and Bowen’s return to the starting lineup, Kudus was somewhat overlooked in the pre-match build-up, but he didn’t waste much time putting that right, firing his side in front within a quarter of an hour.

His goal was a brilliant microcosm of the movement that made him dangerous all game, he looked for space rather than the ball all afternoon and was rewarded when Coufal’s pull-back found him with time to steady himself before firing towards goal.

The shot took a slight yet fortunate deflection off Marc Guehi to wrong-foot Sam Johnstone, but Kudus more than made his own luck and was West Ham’s brightest player all game.

West Ham: Areola 5, Coufal 7, Mavropanos 5, Aguerd 6, Emerson 6, Alvarez 7, Ward-Prowse 7, Soucek 6, Kudus 8*, Paqueta 6, Bowen 6. Sub: Fornals 7.

Crystal Palace: Johnstone 6, Ward 7, Andersen 7, Guehi 6, Richards 6, Mitchell 6, Lerma 6, Hughes 6, Olise 7, Ayew 6, Edouard 7. Subs: Riedewald 7, Mateta 6.

13’ - GOAL! WEST HAM 1-0 CRYSTAL PALACE (KUDUS): West Ham had barely fired a shot but they broke forward there at speed, Ward-Prowse providing a pinpoint long ball to meet Coufal's marauding run down the right. He pulled it back straight to Mohammed Kudus in the box who got a hint of good fortune as his shot deflected off Guehi and past Sam Johnstone but he won't care, it's 1-0!

43’ - SO CLOSE! Andersen's dead ball delivery didn't pass the wall unscathed but the deflection off Alvarez turned out to be really dangerous, Areola was wrong-footed and watched desperately as the ball arced just past his left-hand post, but Palace can't produce the same threat from the resulting corner.

47’ - GOAL... DISALLOWED! Alvarez took a quick through on the right to Kudus, who hit a first-time cross aimed at Soucek that bounced into the net. The move surprised everyone, unfortunately including Soucek who took a swing at it from an offside position, so it's chelked off much to Johnstone's relief.

51’ - HOW DID THEY MISS?!? Olise won the free-kick in a great position after Paqueta didn't take too kindly to his nutmeg, and the Frenchman got up to ping a sumptuous ball into the box. Guehi met it on the left to play it back across goal, but Eduoard can't reach it and Ward-Prowse does superbly to put it out and not into his own net.

53’ - GOAL! WEST HAM 1-1 CRYSTAL PALACE (EDOUARD): He’s made up for it there though! Konstantinos Mavropanos was the only enforced change for David Moyes but that's a howler - West Ham play out from the back and the Greek defender hits a no-look return ball for Aguerd, not seeing the Eduoard had come forward to cut out the passing lane. He gratefully accepts the gift, bursting forward and finished back across goal beyond a despairing Areola.

90+3’ - WAS THAT THE MOMENT? Superb interplay between Riedewald and Olise earned the latter space to fire a low ball across goal from about eight yards out, but West Ham put it behind and that could be Palace's last chance. West Ham then create their best chance since the goal 80 minutes ago but Bowen can't direct Fornals' cross towards goal with any power.

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